OCTOltLR 29, 1896] 



NA TURK 



619 



PALEONTOLOGY AND EVOLUTION. 

 Essai tic Pah'ontologic Philosophiqiic : Otn'rage faisant 

 suite aiix Enchainenieiits tin Monde Animal dans Ics 

 Temps Gi'ologiques. By Prof. Albert Caudry. Pp. 

 230. (Paris : Masson et Cie, i8g6.; 



THE present volume forms a supplement to Piof. 

 Gaudry's well-known series of semi-popular 

 treatises on Palaeontology, entitled " Enchainements du 

 Monde Animal dans les Temps Cicologiques." In it the 

 author has summed up most of the evidence brought 

 forward in his previous volumes, and attempts to deduce 

 from it a general outline of the course of the evolution of 

 the animal kingdom from the daun of life to the present 

 day. Like so many French scientific writers, Prof 

 Gaudry possesses in an eminent degree the power of 

 presenting the facts of his science to the general reader 

 in a lucid and attractive manner : in this respect the 

 book leaves nothing to be desired. If however, its 

 arguments be examined, there is less cause for satisfac- 

 tion, many of them being illogical, and giving evidence 

 of strong bias on the part of the author. Moreover, 

 the neglect of much of the recent literature of the subjects 

 discussed is greatly to be regretted. 



The dominant idea of the book is, that there is a 

 general parallelism between the evolution of animals in 

 the course of geological time and the development of an 

 individual man in the course of his life, there being in 

 both cases a gradual increase in the number of the con- 

 stituent elements, and in the degree of their differentia- 

 tion, as well as in bulk, activity, and intelligence. That 

 such an analogy is to some extent traceable, probably no 

 one will be disposed to deny, but the writer attempts to 

 push it too far. 



Thus two plates of restored figures. of various living 

 and extinct animals, drawn to scale, are given for the 

 purpose of demonstrating that there has been a gradual 

 increase in bulk from the first. Now it may be quite 

 true that some of the whales are the largest animals that 

 have ever existed ; but if we examine any of the great 

 groups, other than the mammals, which are of compara- 

 tively recent origin, it becomes clear that no such pro- 

 gressive increase in bulk has taken place. In most cases 

 there has been an increase up to a certain point ; but 

 this has been followed by a diminution. For example, 

 the .Amphibia attained their maximum size in the Triassic, 

 the Reptilia in the Jurassic periods. Even the Mammalia 

 seem to be already on the decline in point of size, the 

 Pleistocene species having, in most cases, been larger 

 than their modern representatives. The whales, owing 

 to the peculiar conditions of their existence, are excep- 

 tional, but they also are probably doomed to extinction 

 at no very remote date. 



As to the causes of evolution, Prof (laudry dismisses 

 Lamarck and Darwin in two lines, with the remark that 

 the question is at present too obscure for discussion. He 

 then proceeds to discuss it at considerable length, and 

 arrives at results so remarkably simple, that the reason 

 for his unceremonious treatment of other writers becomes 

 apparent. In short. Prof Gaudry considers that organic 

 evolution is directed from the outside by a conscious 

 agent, and that while sublunary causes may be held 

 accountable for the loss or reduction of any existing 

 NO. 1409, VOL. 54] 



organ, the appearance of any new structure is attribut- 

 able to the direct interposition of this guiding power. 

 That such views should find expression in a work by so 

 eminent a writer, and particularly in one intended for the 

 general reader, is much to be regretted, since they are 

 certain to lead to much misconception as to the present 

 position of the doctrine of e\olution ; while they will be 

 triumphantly quoted as authoritative by those with whose 

 preconceived ideas they seem to harmonise. 



The book is well printed and illustrated, and is a 

 storehouse of interesting facts, but is not to be recom- 

 mended to those who do not possess the necessary 

 knowledge to separate the wheat from the tares. 



GATTERAfANN'S PRACTICAL ORGANIC 

 CHEMISTRY. 

 Prdciicdl Mctlicds of Organic C/icmis/iy. By Ludwig 

 Gattermann, Ph.D. Translated by William B. Shober, 

 Ph.D. Pp. 329, with 82 Figures. (London: Macmillan 

 and Co., Ltd., 1896.) 



FOR some time past the student of organic chemistry 

 has been amply provided with text-books and 

 manuals dealing with the theory and facts of the science, 

 but even now his choice is very limited when he comes 

 to select a book which will help him to overcome diffi- 

 culties in the laboratory. 



For this reason alone the appearance of Prof Gatter- 

 mann's work in German was warmly welcomed in this 

 country, not only by students, but also by those who have 

 to direct practical work in organic chemistry ; and the 

 translation, which has no\v been made by Dr. Shober, 

 and which "is intended for those students of chemistry 

 who have not yet become sufficiently familiar with scien- 

 tific German to be able to read it accurately without 

 constant reference to a dictionary," will no doubt make 

 the work accessible to an even larger number of readers. 



The book is divided into three parts, the first of which 

 deals with crystallisation, distillation, and other methods 

 of purification, and also with the analytical methods 

 employed in the case of organic compounds. In this 

 part the author describes in great detail most of the 

 operations which have to be constantly performed in pre- 

 paration- and in research-work, and also the apparatus 

 which is generally employed. 



It is evident that the greatest care has been taken to 

 make this description so complete that it would be hardly 

 possible, even for a beginner, to make mistakes in his 

 later work, if he had thoroughly mastered this intro- 

 ductory, but very important, part. In adopting such a 

 plan a certain amount of repetition is perhaps unavoid- 

 able, and in some cases instructions which have been 

 given only a page or two previously, are repeated almost 

 word for word. It is no doubt with the same object, 

 namely, of preventing accidents and mistakes, that the 

 author has in a few instances given directions which 

 appear to be quite unnecessary, and which seem to imply 

 that the student is devoid of common sense. 



The description of the ordinary analytical methods, 

 which closes Part i., is so minute in every particular that 

 an ordinary combustion, for e.xample, should be carried 

 out successfully by a beginner without further assistance ; 

 some portions here might, perhaps, be abridged with 



